Many, unfortunately, see false tensions in the saving process between the Biblical forces of law and grace. For similar reasons, many assume that the Biblical teaching of salvation by faith alone produces tension with the Biblical teaching of judgment according to works. But once we understand the Biblical distinction between the “works of the law” which justify no one (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9) and the works of faith which in fact fulfill the conditions of salvation (Matt. 19:16-17,26; Luke 10:25-28; Rom. 2:6-13; 8:13; Heb. 5:9; 11:7), the Biblical message regarding obedience and the final judgment involves no tension whatsoever with the doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
The Biblical Judgment
In closing his memoir of spiritual dissolution and recovery, the wisest of kings admonishes:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Eccl. 12:13-14).
The apostle Paul borrows this theme in the following passage, using similar words:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (II Cor. 5:10).
Jesus extended the divine scrutiny thus depicted to our words as well:
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matt. 12:36-37).
Our Lord’s parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46) offers perhaps the most graphic Biblical depiction of judgment according to works. The language of this parable is such that it is clear Jesus is citing the practical choices of both groups as the reason for their eternal destiny:
Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in;
Naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me….
Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink;
I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not (verses 34-36,41-43).
The apostle Paul affirms this same reality in the following verses:
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Who will render to every man according to his deeds;
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (Rom. 2:3-10).
The apostle James upholds the Ten Commandment law as the standard by which human conduct is measured in God’s final judgment:
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty (James 2:10-12).
Says the apostle Peter:
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear (I Peter 1:17).
The book of Revelation, foretelling the last moments of the controversy with evil, says the same thing about the basis for judgment:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works (Rev. 20:12-13).
And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Rev. 22:12).
The Biblical Judgment Denied
A book by a former, now-deceased Adventist pastor, attacking the doctrine of the investigative judgment, denounces as legalism such Ellen White statements as the following:
Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or condemn. They go before us to the judgment [##1|Ellen G. White, Spirit of Prophecy,, vol. 4, p. 311; Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, p. 36.##].
After citing this reference, the author of this book asks in horror:
Who could meet this test? Whose motives are one hundred percent right all the time? … This is not the gospel; it is condemnation [##2|Dale Ratzlaff, The Cultic Doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists: An Evangelical Resource: An Appeal to SDA Leadership (Sedona, AZ: Life Assurance Ministries, 1996), p. 236.##].
This author had best take up his objection with Solomon, the New Testament apostles, and the Lord Himself. That the final destiny of all will be based on their practical adherence, or lack thereof, to the eternal law of God, is a teaching firmly grounded in the consensus of Scripture, as the verses cited above make plain.
It is important to note that none of the above Scriptures present those works which will pass the test of the judgment as merely the fruit of a finished salvation presumably based on justification alone. Nor are these works ever presented in Scripture as persistently falling short of God’s requirements, with justifying righteousness supposedly needed to close this continuing gap. Justification, or forgiveness, is certainly needed to cover the believer’s past transgressions and sins of ignorance. And this covering is our assurance that in the coming judgment these past offenses will not jeopardize our eternal hope, provided they have been fully confessed and forsaken (II Chron. 7:14; Prov. 28:13; Isa. 55:7; Rom. 2:13; Gal. 2:17; I John 1:9).
But the notion that justification is the sole ground of our standing in God’s judgment, with a never-perfect sanctification merely serving as proof one has been justified to start with, is not a Biblical teaching. Indeed, it is patently absurd to speak of our acquittal in the judgment as based exclusively on the doing and dying of Christ, “plus nothing,” and then to simultaneously speak of a necessary sanctified response. “Plus nothing” either means plus nothing, or it means nothing at all. Once the Biblical concept of faith and works is correctly understood, no paradox whatsoever is found in the twin Biblical teachings of salvation by faith and judgment by works.
Like Scripture, the writings of Ellen White present the Christian’s obedience as the fruit of divinely-imparted faith and inward holiness, but never as the fruit of a finished salvation. Speaking of John Wesley’s conversion and its results, Ellen White says:
He continued his strict and self-denying life, not now as the ground, but the result of faith; not the root, but the fruit of holiness [##3|White, The Great Controversy, p. 256 (italics supplied).##].
Elsewhere she writes:
We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to be received by faith. But obedience is the fruit of faith [##4|——Steps to Christ, p. 61.##].
Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine [##5|——Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 312.##].
A Race, a Process, a Struggle
But while obedience is declared by the inspired pen to be the fruit of faith, salvation is depicted as the outworking of the entire process, not as a completed work to which obedience afterward bears witness. In another statement Ellen White declares:
When souls are converted, their salvation is not yet accomplished. They then have the race to run. An arduous struggle is before them [##6|——Review and Herald, Aug. 25, 1891.##].
In a similar statement we read:
He (Christ) has undertaken the work of salvation, and shown before unfallen worlds and the heavenly family that the work He has begun He is able to complete [##7|——Maranatha, p. 341.##].
If, of course, salvation is equated with inward transformation as well as forgiveness, it is possible to speak of obedience as its fruit and be true to the teachings of Inspiration. Both righteousness and sin are primarily issues of the heart, as evidenced by Jesus’ statements about murder and adultery (Matt. 5:21-22,27-28) and the fact that the thief on the cross was forgiven without having physically restored what he had stolen, as Scripture requires (Eze. 33:15). This is how the Seventh-day Adventist Statement of Fundamental Beliefs can say, concerning salvation and obedience: “Salvation is all of grace and not of works, and its fruit is obedience to the Commandments” [##8|Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2022 edition, p. 174.##].
But neither the inspired writings nor SDA Fundamental Beliefs declare salvation to be complete through justification alone, with transformation and obedience as the fruit of this allegedly finished reality. According to Scripture, regeneration and sanctification form an integral part of the process the Bible calls salvation (Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:28-29; II Thess. 2:13; Titus 3:5).
It is equally correct to affirm that sanctification is the fruit of justification, provided we acknowledge the inspired teaching that both constitute the ground of our salvation. It is like the difference between getting married and staying married, the latter building—one hopes!—upon the former.
In simple words, we are saved solely by faith because faith alone is able both to grasp the promise of divine forgiveness and to produce in our lives the obedience which fulfills the conditions of salvation (Matt. 19:16-17; Luke 10:25-28; Rom. 2:6-10; 8:13; Heb. 5:9). The Bible is clear that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23), and that “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). This is why Jesus said to His disciples, following His interview with the rich young ruler, that “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). His later declaration that “without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5) affirms this same truth.
But the inspired teaching of salvation by faith alone does not denote faith as distinct from the obedience faith produces. This is obvious from the vignettes of faith cited in Hebrews, chapter 11. What “faith alone” does in fact describe is faith (together with its attendant obedience) in contrast with the self-righteous deeds of the unconverted heart (I Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:11-17; Matt. 3:9; 23:2-39; Rom. 2:17-23), which have nothing to do with faith.
Ellen White on Faith, Obedience, and the Judgment
In a number of statements, Ellen White speaks emphatically of faith as the exclusive means whereby grace, justification, and salvation are obtained:
When you turn away from the broken cisterns that can hold no water, and in the name of Jesus your Advocate come directly to God, asking for the things you need, the righteousness of Christ will be revealed as your righteousness, the virtue of Christ as your virtue. You will then understand that justification will come alone through faith in Christ; for in Jesus is revealed the perfection of the character of God; in His life is manifested the outworking of the principles of holiness. Through the atoning blood of Christ the sinner is set free from bondage and condemnation; through the perfection of the sinless Substitute and Surety, he may run in the race of humble obedience to all God’s commandments [##9|White, Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 330.##].
All that man can possibly do toward his own salvation is to accept the invitation, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17) [##10|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 343.##].
When God pardons the sinner, remits the punishment he deserves, and treats him as though he had not sinned, He receives him into divine favor, and justifies him through the merits of Christ’s righteousness. The sinner can be justified only through faith in the atonement made through God’s dear Son, who became a sacrifice for the sins of the guilty world. No one can be justified by any works of his own. He can be delivered from the guilt of sin, from the condemnation of the law, from the penalty of transgression, only by virtue of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Faith is the only condition upon which justification can be obtained, and faith includes not only belief but trust [##11|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 389.##].
When we compare the above statements with others we find from the same author, which delineate such conditions as the entire surrender of the heart [##12|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 366.##], the forsaking of sin [##13|——Steps to Christ, p. 37; The Upward Look, p. 49.##], and obedience to God’s commandments [##14|——In Heavenly Places, p. 146; The Upward Look, p. 189; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1072.##] as prerequisites for justification—not to mention those Bible verses which teach the same (II Chron. 7:14; Prov. 28:13; Isa. 55:7; Matt. 6:14-15; Rom. 2:13; Gal. 2:17)—we are confronted with a classic case of needing to permit inspired language to explain itself. As Ellen White states quite clearly:
The testimonies themselves will be the key that will explain the messages given, as scripture is explained by scripture [##15|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 42.##].
This is how Ellen White can say in one statement that “salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone” [##16|——Faith and Works, p. 19.##], yet in another statement decry the “doctrine of faith, and faith only” [##17|——The Great Controversy, p. 472.##], which in context refers to the denial of obedience as part of the conditions of salvation [##18|——The Great Controversy, pp. 471-473.##]. Let’s keep in mind Ellen White’s statement regarding inspired language, that “different meanings are expressed by the same word; there is not one word for each distinct idea” [##19|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 20.##].
“Faith alone,” as used by Ellen White with reference to Biblical salvation, does not mean faith as distinct from repentance, total surrender, or submission to the divine requirements. What it does mean is faith in contrast with superficial adherence to these requirements, which is why Ellen White states—comparing works done in our own strength with deeds accomplished through faith—that “obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love” [##20|——Steps to Christ, p. 60.##]. The contrast is between religious activity apart from conversion and religious activity produced by conversion.
Put simply, faith produces in our lives the obedience salvation requires (Matt. 19:16-17,26; John 15:5; Phil. 2:12-13; 4:13; Col. 1:29; Heb. 11:6-7). The judgment in turn evaluates this finished product (Eccl. 12:13-14; Matt. 12:36-37; 25:31-46; Rom. 2:6-10; II Cor. 5:10; James 2:10-12; 1 Peter 1:17; Rev. 20:12-13; 22:12). This is how we are saved by faith and judged by works. Ellen White is thus in full harmony with Scripture when she writes as follows:
By the king’s examination of the guests at the feast is represented a work of judgment. The guests at the gospel feast are those who profess to serve God, those whose names are written in the book of life. But not all who profess to be Christians are true disciples. Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who are fitted to share the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven; for when He comes, His reward is with Him, “to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12. Before His coming, then, the character of every man’s work will have been determined, and to every one of Christ’s followers the reward will have been apportioned according to his deeds.
It is while men are still dwelling upon the earth that the work of investigative judgment takes place in the courts of heaven. The lives of all His professed followers pass in review before God. All are examined according to the record of the books of heaven, and according to his deeds the destiny of each is forever fixed.
By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character that Christ’s true followers will possess. To the church it is given “that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white,” “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Rev. 19:8. Eph. 5:27. The fine linen, says the Scripture, “is the righteousness of saints.” Rev. 19:8. It is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour [##21|——Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 312.##].
When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that day, will be presented before the world as the standard of righteousness. Then men and women will see that the prerequisite of their salvation is obedience to the perfect law of God. None will find excuse for sin. By the righteous principles of that law, men will receive their sentence of life or of death [##22|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 225.##].
Each one in the day of investigative judgment will stand in character as he really is; he will render an individual account to God. Every word uttered, every departure from integrity, every action that sullies the soul, will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. Memory will be true and vivid in condemnation of the guilty one, who in that day is found wanting. The mind will recall all the thoughts and acts of the past; the whole life will come in review like the scenes in a panorama. Thus every one will be condemned or acquitted out of his own mouth, and the righteousness of God will be vindicated [##23|——Review and Herald, Nov. 4, 1884.##].
By our words we are to be justified or condemned. When in the final judgment we stand before the tribunal of God, it is our words that will justify or condemn us. Much more than we realize is involved in the matter of speech…. Let your lips be touched with a live coal from the divine altar. Utter only words of truth. Watch and pray, that your words and deeds may ever confess Christ. Let your words be seasoned with wisdom and purity [##24|——The Voice in Speech and Song, pp. 21-22.##].
The time will come when all must stand before angels and before men, revealed in their true light. As the artist reproduces upon the polished plate the features of the human countenance, so their characters are being transferred to the books of heaven…. In the judgment every man will stand revealed just as he is, either fashioned after the divine similitude or disfigured by the idolatrous sins of selfishness and covetousness [##25|——The Truth About Angels, p. 292.##].
In the day of judgment the course of the man who has retained the frailty and imperfection of humanity will not be vindicated. For him there will be no place in heaven. He could not enjoy the perfection of the saints in light. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God [##26|——Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 360.##].
While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth…. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing [##27|——The Great Controversy, p. 425.##].
At the final day, we shall be approved or condemned according to our works. The Judge of all the earth will render a just decision. He will not be bribed; He cannot be deceived. He who made man, and whose are the worlds and all the treasures they contain—He it is who weighs character in the balance of eternal justice [##28|——Signs of the Times, Oct. 8, 1885.##].
Let no one say that your works have nothing to do with your rank and position before God. In the judgment the sentence pronounced is according to what has been done or to what has been left undone (Matt. 25:34-40) [##29|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 381.##].
The world is soon to meet the great Lawgiver over His broken law. Those only who turn from transgression to obedience can hope for pardon and peace [##30|——Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 402.##].
The only question asked in the judgment will be, “Have they been obedient to My commandments?” [##31|——Gospel Workers, p. 315.##].
The following statement combines in a few words the imperative of obedience to the divine law as the condition for passing the final judgment, with the imperative of faith as the means whereby this obedience is produced:
In order to be prepared for the judgment, it is necessary that men should keep the law of God. That law will be the standard of character in the judgment. The apostle Paul declares: “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law, … in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” And he says that “the doers of the law shall be justified.” Romans 2:12-16. Faith is essential in order to the keeping of the law of God; for “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” And “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23. [##32|——The Great Controversy, p. 436.##].
Final Summary
In sum:
1. Obedience is the condition of salvation.
2. Faith claims the obedience of Christ to take the place of past sins.
3. Faith claims the obedience of Christ to be lived out in the sanctified life.
4. The judgment examines the application of points 2 and 3 in the life of the Christian, thus deciding if the Biblical condition of salvation (point 1) has been fulfilled.
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 311; Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, p. 36.
2. Dale Ratzlaff, The Cultic Doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists: An Evangelical Resource: An Appeal to SDA Leadership (Sedona, AZ: Life Assurance Ministries, 1996), p. 236.
3. White, The Great Controversy, p. 256 (italics supplied).
4. ----Steps to Christ, p. 61.
5. ----Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 312.
6. ----Review and Herald, Aug. 25, 1891.
7. ----Maranatha, p. 341.
8. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2022 edition, p. 174.
9. White, Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 330.
10. Ibid, p. 343.
11. Ibid, p. 389.
12. Ibid, p. 366.
13. ----Steps to Christ, p. 37; The Upward Look, p. 49.
14. ----In Heavenly Places, p. 146; The Upward Look, p. 189; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1072.
15. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 42.
16. ----Faith and Works, p. 19.
17. ----The Great Controversy, p. 472.
18. Ibid, pp. 471-473.
19. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 20.
20. ----Steps to Christ, p. 60.
21. ----Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 312.
22. -----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 225.
23. ----Review and Herald, Nov. 4, 1884.
24. ----The Voice in Speech and Song, pp. 21-22.
25. ----The Truth About Angels, p. 292.
26. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 360.
27. ----The Great Controversy, p. 425.
28. ----Signs of the Times, Oct. 8, 1885.
29. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 381.
30. Ibid, vol. 2, p. 402.
31. ----Gospel Workers, p. 315.
32. ----The Great Controversy, p. 436.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan